Family Guy "Partial Terms of Endearment" DVD Review

Why this episode was too controversial for TV, and why you should (or shouldn't) care.

Before getting too far into this review, I have to disclose that I've never been a huge fan of Family Guy in general. I have more than a few friends whose opinions I respect, and whose taste usually matches mine, who love the show, but I seem to be missing that Family Guy gene. Sure, there are a few genuine laughs here and there, but I find most of the humor to be too random and too obvious. A smarter show would let the jokes speak for themselves, but this one has to illustrate every pun, as if you wouldn't get it otherwise. It seems like Seth MacFarlane and his writers can't let a single bit pass without making sure every single member of the audience caught it, as if to say, "See what we did there?"

To address the episode more specifically, it's hard to believe that the writers ever expected "Partial Terms of Endearment" to make it to air. Fox did allow the episode to be produced, though, which makes you wonder if this DVD release was the plan from the start. Even devoted, longtime fans of the show may be a little uncomfortable with the subject matter. It's simply shock for the sake of shock. It seems as though once they make the commitment to take on the abortion issue head on, they figured they might as well take it as far as possible. It's not like there's ever been a firm line that Family Guy won't cross, but I don't believe in the philosophy of universal offense – that it's okay to make an offensive racial joke as long as you insult everyone equally. It's still unproductive, and not that funny, no matter how many other minority groups or demographics you routinely and ruthlessly stereotype.

The jumping off point for the episode is a request by Lois' former flame Naomi (yes, it turns out Lois did some experimenting in college). Peter naturally jumps to the conclusion that what Naomi wants a threesome, but actually she asks Lois to be a surrogate for her and her husband, since they can't have a child of their own. Lois goes through with it, despite Peter's objections (and attempts to make her miscarry), only to find out later that the couple has died and she's stuck carrying an orphaned zygote.

They visit a clinic to terminate the pregnancy, but while Lois is in there, Peter meets a group of anti-abortion demonstrators, who manage to convert him to their side with a video full of baseless arguments, like the claim that abortion snuffed out Osama's America-loving older brother, who would have talked him out of it ("Thanks a lot for 9/11, abortion enthusiasts."). This leads to a family discussion in which all the usual arguments are brought up as everyone tries to change Peter's mind. Which leads to more off-screen discussion between Peter and Lois before the ultimate outcome is simply dropped on us a second before the final credits roll.

In the end it doesn't matter which side you come down on, really. That wasn't my issue with the episode anyway. I just didn't find most of it funny, and the jokes that did land for me were ruined by the same old cutaways mentioned above. I do appreciate that the writers didn't cop out in the end, and actually picked a side, but it goes by so fast it doesn't have much impact.

As for the DVD, there's more here than just the episode. Seth MacFarlane, Danny Smith, Joseph Lee and Alex Borstein provide a commentary, though they don't stay on topic for a lot of it, and stop to watch the episode a few times, leaving some dead air. It would have been nice to have heard more about the writing process, and there is some of that (like which writers came up with which jokes), but it goes by pretty fast. The other extra of note is a live show starring MacFarlane and Borstein. It's a comedy/variety show that doesn't really have anything to do with this specific episode, but there's a lot of Family Guy references that fans should enjoy (and one great celebrity cameo). A table read of the episode and an early animatic version allow you to watch it through a few more times from a different perspective, if you're so inclined.

If you're a fan and really curious to see this unaired episode, you might want to give it a rental first, then decide whether it's worth owning.